More Than 100 Top Companies Have Banned Badger Hair Shaving Brushes – Why?

After the animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) shared a horrifying video in late 2018, exposing the cruel treatment of badgers in China, more than 100 companies worldwide have followed the lead of Procter & Gamble (owners of ‘The Art of Shaving’) who immediately stopped stocking shaving brushes made with badger hair.

The companies who have taken action include such international names as Wilkinson Sword, Schick, and Skintimate and of course yours truly – Gentlemans Face Care Club, in fact we starting making our own superior quality shaving brush made from synthetic bristles, way before the details of Peta’s report were made public!

The History Of Using Badger Hair For Shaving Brushes

The invention of the modern shaving brush can be traced back to France during the 19th century. As well as using badger hair as it was felt to be the best for ensuring an excellent shave, many men felt that the shape and comfort of the handle was almost as important. Shaving brushes soon became a status symbol and were often  created with ornate handles made from rare woods, bone, silver and even gold.

Over the years, China became the main producer of badger hair shaving brushes. It was thought that the badgers were being culled as they were proving a nuisance to farmers and were being killed for their meat and pelts. It was only when PETA revealed the full story that the world learnt exactly what was going on in China.

Why Has Badger Hair Been Used For Shaving Brushes?

A good shaving brush is one of the most important accessories for shaving, if you’re hoping to give yourself a really excellent shave.

Shaving brushes made from Badger hair have long been regarded as the best for several reasons. Badger hair scrubs the skin, opening the pores and importantly encouraging the hair follicles to stand vertically which ensures a far closer shave. A shaving brush made with badger hair is soft and also absorbs much water which results in far more lather being created from the shaving soap. The benefit of a good lather is that it enables the razor to glide comfortably over the skin- resulting in an excellent shave and no discomfort.

Although Badger hair brushes have always been the most expensive, many men felt the price was justified.

There are several grades of badger hair with silver tip badger brushes being the highest quality as the hair used to make the shaving brush is taken from the neck of the badger. A brush of this quality, if it is cared for, should easily last ten years or more.

What Are The Alternative Types Of Shaving Brush?

The most popular type of shaving brushes are made from synthetic hair. They come in a variety of qualities and the best are just as soft as badger hair. They are popular because they’re far cheaper in price and also because they’re ideal for those who are allergic or who do not want to use something made from animal products.

A third group of shaving brushes are made using horse or wild boar hair. These have the lather producing qualities of badger hair brushes but the hair feels much coarser on the face.

Are Badgers Killed In China For Shaving Brushes?

PETA is the largest animal rights movement in the world, with more than nine million members, based in the United States. Its investigators filmed the cruel treatment of badgers that they found at one of the badger farms in China. The footage was the first of its kind and was shared on Twitter in Autumn 2018 accompanied by the announcement-
‘A new PETA investigation reveals that badgers were illegally taken from the wild and violently killed on Chinese badger-hair farms for makeup, shaving and paintbrushes’.

At the same time as the video was released, PETA launched a petition to stop the cruel practises in China. The video certainly shocked the world and companies worldwide reacted by immediately stopping the sourcing of Badger hair shaving brushes from China – https://www.petaasia.com/news/companies-ban-badger-hair/

Since these dreadful revelations, many companies have responded to the demand for ethically-sourced shaving products with a new synthetic brush range.

It has to be said, that although the cruelties of the shaving brush industry have been exposed, shaving brushes made from badger hair are still being sold and being bought as some purists say that only badger shaving brushes should be used.

While some companies have continued to sell their remaining stock, others are still buying supplies from the cruel badger farms in China.

Many people though are not willing to buy them knowing about the cruelty and are happy to buy a quality synthetic brush that is vegan like our very own Vegan Shaving Brush.

The newest types shaving brushes with synthetic bristles are as effective and are easy to maintain and are long-lasting – with the bonus that they come with a much smaller price tag.

If you are opposed to the cruel farming of badgers for their hair then take a stand and buy alternatives. Luckily Gentlemans Face Care Club already manufacture a 100% Vegan top quality shaving brush which you check out here – Vegan shaving brush